Marco’s Italy2024-01-15T19:09:25-05:00

Marco’s Italy

Marco’s Italy: Travels Across Italy Blog

Florence city skyline panorama – Florence – Italy

Travels Across Italy-In Search of Italy’s Soul is written by Mark Gordon Smith, published travel writer and President of Private Italy Tours.

Using an easy “IF YOU GO” format, the posts provide detailed and helpful information for those planning a trip to Italy or for those only curious about sites, cities, and the history of bella Italia.



1501, 2024

Discovering a “new” composition by Vivaldi

January 15th, 2024|Veneto, Venice|0 Comments

The following is a guest post by Michael Talbot (University of Liverpool, Department of Music, Emeritus): Regular Dresden-watchers will be aware of the ambitious project “Die Notenbestände der Dresdner Hofkirche und der Königlichen Privat-Musikaliensammlung aus der Zeit der sächsisch-polnischen Union” supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), which was brought to a successful conclusion [...]

1501, 2024

Fivizzano and the First Printing Presses in Italy

January 15th, 2024|Tuscany|Comments Off on Fivizzano and the First Printing Presses in Italy

Off  the Beaten Path As I leave the E80 autostrada, north of the well-known town of Carrara, I trace the shores of the Magra River. My destination is a little-known place one must seek out. The tiny community of Fivizzano — a village far from the usual tourist destinations of La Spezia and [...]

1501, 2024

Lago Orta: Italy’s Lake Region Secret

January 15th, 2024|Piedmont|Comments Off on Lago Orta: Italy’s Lake Region Secret

Lago Orta's Isola di San Giulio Like a dream, ocher lights illuminate this island amidst a golden hazed sunset. Alpine born breezes carry the scent of jasmine and lemon blossoms. As if the lakes of Northern Italy could hold no more surprises, you discover Lago Orta. With more than 150 miles of shoreline, [...]

1501, 2024

Sophocles’ Shadows: Teatro Greco of Siracusa, Italy

January 15th, 2024|Sicily|Comments Off on Sophocles’ Shadows: Teatro Greco of Siracusa, Italy

  The swallows arrive above the tall cypress trees surrounding the ancient Greek amphitheater in Siracusa. I take my seat among the hundreds who enter the Teatro Greco quietly, almost reverently. We have gathered here to watch a modern production of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. Teatro Greco, Siracusa The stones of this [...]

1501, 2024

Gallipoli: An Italian Treasure

January 15th, 2024|Puglia|Comments Off on Gallipoli: An Italian Treasure

A Puglian Gem A few cats laze in the shadow of a warm Fall sun. During this visit to Gallipoli, I have yet to encounter an American tourist. This is one of the wonderful benefits to visiting Gallipoli, and Puglia, during the off season. Riviera Armando Diaz at sunsetIt is a lovely October [...]

1501, 2024

Round Houses & Roman Taxes: Alberobello’s Trulli

January 15th, 2024|Puglia|Comments Off on Round Houses & Roman Taxes: Alberobello’s Trulli

As I prepared for my first visit to Puglia’s village of Alberobello, I learned two very distinct stories associated with the creation of the legendary round structures called trulli. These lovely and unique, conically-topped structures form the heart of this very popular tourist site.  Trulli and Taxes The first story concerns the shepherds [...]

1501, 2024

Brunello Cucinelli and the Fabric of Community

January 15th, 2024|Umbria|Comments Off on Brunello Cucinelli and the Fabric of Community

Cucinelli Family Roots Solomeo, Italy On the rise of a low hill, not far from Lago Trasimeno—a heart shaped lake in the heart of the province of Umbria—rests the home village of Federica Cucinelli, wife of Brunello Cucinelli. For those unfamiliar with Signor Cucinelli, his family founded what became a world-wide [...]

1501, 2024

Piegaro and the Glassmakers of Umbria

January 15th, 2024|Art, Umbria|Comments Off on Piegaro and the Glassmakers of Umbria

Venice to Piegaro: A Daring Escape In 1292, the rulers of Venice decreed all glass blowing would move to the island of Murano to protect the city from fires created by the furnaces in the glass workshops. Subsequently, the artists became virtual prisoners to their craft as the Venetians attempted to keep a [...]

1501, 2024

Basilicata — A Province of Promise

January 15th, 2024|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Basilicata — A Province of Promise

A Region Less Traveled Basilicata. The provinces of Campagna to the north, Puglia to the east and Calabria to the southwest frame this province. The Gulf of Taranto forms what many refer to as the “arch” of the boot to the south. Between those political and geographic boundaries lies this large and little-known [...]

1501, 2024

Caravaggio in Rome: An Overview of a Master

January 15th, 2024|Art, Lazio, Rome|Comments Off on Caravaggio in Rome: An Overview of a Master

Ah, Caravaggio. Some have called him “Baroque’s Bad Boy”, but regardless of the nickname anyone gives this extraordinary painter, those words will forever fall flat when in the presence of his work.  You will find numerous works by Caravaggio in Rome, but when you walk through a museum anywhere in the world, you [...]

1501, 2024

Poggio’s Discovery: De Rerum Natura

January 15th, 2024|Florence|Comments Off on Poggio’s Discovery: De Rerum Natura

Poggio Bracciolini Poggio Bracciolini You should place this name foremost in your memory regarding Italian history. Why might we need to remember this name? An epic poem and one of the most important texts of Western civilization. Poggio's discovery, De Rerum Natura, quite literally changed the world. Historians know little about [...]

1501, 2024

Lecce: The Florence of the South

January 15th, 2024|Puglia|Comments Off on Lecce: The Florence of the South

Lecce and Florence Florence dominates my childhood memories of living in Tuscany. The city of the Renaissance beckoned then, as it does now, with its world-famous museums, incredible writers, and history. Few cities can match it. When I began exploring the region of Puglia, imagine my surprise to learn that Italians call Lecce [...]

1501, 2024

Galileo’s Sidereus Nuncius and the World of Forgeries

January 15th, 2024|Florence, Tuscany|Comments Off on Galileo’s Sidereus Nuncius and the World of Forgeries

A Celestial Discovery Imagine a bitter Tuscan night in the winter of 1610. A certain man directs his rudimentary telescope to the heavens. As he focuses his attention to Jupiter, he sees something astounding which brings him much joy. Moons circle the great Giant. A tale of incredible scientific discovery follows. Likewise, this [...]

1501, 2024

Scrovegni Chapel: Giotto’s Reflections on Faith and Light

January 15th, 2024|Art, Veneto|Comments Off on Scrovegni Chapel: Giotto’s Reflections on Faith and Light

Layered History in Scrovengni Chapel When Giotto di Bondone began his work inside the Arena Chapel, he had a great deal more than fresco design on his mind — ruthless money lenders. The commission came to Giotto from the Scrovegni family, and the chapel equally bears the names Scrovegni Chapel and Arena Chapel.  [...]

1501, 2024

Truffles and Trevi: The Flavors of Umbria

January 15th, 2024|Art, Umbria|Comments Off on Truffles and Trevi: The Flavors of Umbria

A Chance Discovery Trevi Many years ago, by sheer luck, I found myself in the small town of Trevi. This treasure rests in the province of Umbria, adjacent to the SS3, the main road that winds north from Terni to Foligno. I stopped in the town to have lunch and discovered, [...]

1501, 2024

In an Unfamiliar Rome: Museums & Restaurants

January 15th, 2024|Lombardy, Rome|Comments Off on In an Unfamiliar Rome: Museums & Restaurants

Nearly every street, narrow alleyway or main thoroughfare in Rome, this city of the classics, offers delights for the palette, the intellect, or both. Over the years, I’ve written notes about Rome in my travel journal: places I did not want to forget, little surprising cafes or trattorias to eat in, a piece [...]

1501, 2024

Traveling to Sicily: Some of our Favorite Restaurants in Eastern Sicily

January 15th, 2024|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Traveling to Sicily: Some of our Favorite Restaurants in Eastern Sicily

Santa Maria del Monte staircase in Caltagirone, Sicily On an island like Sicily, the choices for places to eat are as diverse as the food that makes this a ‘foodie’ paradise. This is a short list of some favorite places to dine in Eastern Sicily. Hours can change seasonally, so always [...]

1501, 2024

Venice’s Treasured Isles – The Monastery of San Lazzaro degli Armeni and Torcello

January 15th, 2024|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Venice’s Treasured Isles – The Monastery of San Lazzaro degli Armeni and Torcello

Ancient Bell Tower in the San Lazzaro degli Armeni Island near Venice The Island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni For many years, San Lazzaro degli Armeni remained mostly secret, tucked away in the Venetian Lagoon not far from the Lido. Slowly, word of this living treasure of enormous value and importance [...]

1501, 2024

Juliet of Rome: A Face from Rome’s National Archaeological Museum

January 15th, 2024|Art, Rome|Comments Off on Juliet of Rome: A Face from Rome’s National Archaeological Museum

Roma Termini Station Hidden History When you step from the cavernous main hall at the Roma Termini station, you enter the Piazza dei Cinquecento. Visitors often head directly for the buses, taxis, and waiting private cars. Most miss the large museums across the Via Viminale, the busy boulevard that lines the [...]

1501, 2024

Barbara Strozzi and the Lyrical Music of Venice

January 15th, 2024|Venice|Comments Off on Barbara Strozzi and the Lyrical Music of Venice

Most people cannot name a female composer of the Baroque era in Venice. For me, learning of Barbara Strozzi, the daughter of an intellectual and renowned father — and a member of the Incogniti — came as a welcome surprise. However, mystery shrouds much of her life, not unlike Venice itself. Beauty of [...]

1501, 2024

Amahl and the Night Visitors

January 15th, 2024|Art|Comments Off on Amahl and the Night Visitors

Gian Carlo Menotti In 1950, Peter Herman Adler, artistic director of the NBC Opera Theatre, commissioned composer Gian-Carlo Menotti (1911–2007) to create the first opera for the American television audience. This proved no easy task, but Menotti’s exceptional talent — and a bit of inspiration, — led to his composition of [...]

1501, 2024

A Mysterious Monastery of Florence

January 15th, 2024|Art, Florence|Comments Off on A Mysterious Monastery of Florence

Convent of Sant’Agata Once, I walked along the Via San Gallo in Florence, a street I have come to know well. For more times than I can count, I have passed the façade of what appears to be a church and, until that moment, paid little attention. A small metal marker [...]

1501, 2024

Encounters with the Past: Sicily

January 15th, 2024|Sicily|Comments Off on Encounters with the Past: Sicily

Taormina Amphitheater and Mt. Etna Many years ago, the day arrived when I could finally visit Sicily. Black and white Italian films of the late 40s and 50s returned to my memory; criminal conspiracies, dangerous streets and pickpockets by the hundreds formed a stereotypically violent society where lawlessness was rampant and [...]

1501, 2024

Genoa After the Collapse: A City Reborn

January 15th, 2024|Future Tours, Liguria|Comments Off on Genoa After the Collapse: A City Reborn

A terrible moment — August 14, 2018 — has led to a period of rediscovery for the city of Genoa. On that day, a huge autostrada bridge above the city center collapsed.  New San Giorgio Bridge The government of Italy immediately took on the task of constructing a new bridge, and [...]

1501, 2024

Brunello Cucinelli and the Fabric of Community

January 15th, 2024|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Brunello Cucinelli and the Fabric of Community

Family Roots Landscape of Solomeo On the rise of a low hill, not far from Lago Trasimeno—a heart shaped lake in the heart of the province of Umbria—rests the home village of Federica Cucinelli, wife of Brunello Cucinelli. For those unfamiliar with Signor Cucinelli, his family founded what became a world-wide [...]

1501, 2024

A Thanksgiving Greeting

January 15th, 2024|Art|Comments Off on A Thanksgiving Greeting

Votive offerings are given in times of gratitude, most often for miracles granted. The Cappella del Voto (Chapel of the Madonna of the Vow) rests in the right transept of the Duomo of Siena. The chapel is also referred to as the Chigi chapel because the space was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini [...]

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